The present invention relates generally to homing peptides, and more specifically to peptides that home to atherosclerotic plaques and have anti-inflammatory activity.
The diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis is dominated by the detection of arterial occlusions, reversal of these occlusions by physical intervention, and long-term management of lipid metabolism. Much less effort has been directed to developing reagents that can specifically target the cellular and molecular components of atherosclerotic lesions. Yet such reagents could be valuable in specifically delivering imaging agents and therapeutics directly into plaques. Targeted delivery that uses carrier molecules with specific affinity for the target tissue (synaphic targeting) increases the efficacy of the targeted drug, while also reducing side effects.
Thus, there exists a need for reagents that target atherosclerotic plaques. The present invention satisfies this need and provides related advantages as well.